


Cookies and Croissants

by dragon_hivernal



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode: s01 Le Gamer | The Gamer, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 17:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5974872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragon_hivernal/pseuds/dragon_hivernal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on episode 15, The Gamer. What could have happened if Marinette had looked over at Adrien those times her parents popped into her room instead of getting annoyed at their interference.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cookies and Croissants

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this little oneshot because watching Adrien's dejected expression each time Marinette refused the food made me sad. I wanted Marinette to pay attention to who Adrien is rather than who he's forced/expected to be.
> 
> Many of the spoken lines are taken from the French dub (translated, of course). I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.
> 
> Warning: This fic contains some spoilers for episode 15 (and a couple tiny references to other episodes).
> 
> This is my first fic, so please be gentle! Thank you for reading!

Marinette was over the moon. Adrien was at her house, in her room, playing video games with her! Even better, when she concentrated on the game, she didn’t stutter or fumble much with her words.  
  
“Your parents seem nice,” Adrien commented.  
  
“Oh yeah, they are!” Marinette agreed. “But sometimes they—”  
  
Marinette noticed Tikki indicating a framed picture of Adrien that she’d left on her desk. “Ah!” She leapt past Adrien’s chair and slammed the frame face-down, much to Adrien’s apparent surprise. Marinette let out a nervous giggle.  
  
“Sometimes what?” Adrien prompted her.  
  
Marinette’s dad, Tom Dupain, chose that moment to appear with a plate of croissants. “All is going well? I brought you this in case you got a little hungry.”  
  
Marinette spun her chair around to face him, annoyed. She was just about to tell her dad that she and Adrien were busy training, when she spotted the expression on Adrien’s face. He looked ecstatic. She’d never seen anyone so happy to see a bunch of croissants. Maybe he was hungry? Well, she wasn’t about to erase that expression, no matter how much she wanted to spend time with Adrien without her parents’ interference.  
  
“Oh fine. Thanks, Dad.” Turning to the blond boy, she asked, “Adrien, do you want to eat here or downstairs?”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to get your room messy,” he replied.  
  
“I’m sure you couldn’t!” Marinette burst out. “I mean, I think you’re a very clean person—that is… let’s just go downstairs!”  
  
Her dad gave her a knowing look, which Marinette masterfully ignored. She followed Adrien down the stairs to the living room.  
  
“These smell very good, Mr. Dupain,” Adrien complimented. “Are they the same type of croissant that you brought to our class a few weeks ago?”  
  
“Yes, it’s my very own recipe. Here, have some.”  
  
Adrien beamed as he reached for one of the croissants. “Thank you, sir. This is delicious!”  
  
Marinette grabbed a croissant for herself, feeling a bit left out as it seemed her classmate had forgotten about her.  
  
“Ultimate Mecha Strike III, huh?” Mr. Dupain asked. “Marinette’s been beating me at that game for years, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeves.”  
  
The conversation went on without her, but Marinette didn’t feel down for long. Adrien looked so much happier and freer than he usually acted at school. In fact, he somewhat resembled a certain partner of hers… but no, that was a crazy idea!  
  
The picture Alya had shown her of Adrien flashed in her mind. With the black marker added, Adrien truly did resemble Chat Noir a little.  
  
Marinette tried to shove the thought away, without success. If that wild hypothesis were actually true, that meant she didn’t know Adrien nearly as well as she thought. What did she know of the boy, aside from his extracurricular activities and the fact that he was kind and handsome? Did he even sign up for those activities voluntarily, or did his father force him to take them? What if all she knew of Adrien was just a mask?  
  
Marinette felt sick to the stomach. Whether or not Adrien was Chat Noir, she was clearly more of a fan than a friend. She’d never gotten to know her classmate properly, but at least now she had a chance.  
  
“Say, have you played UMS III before, Adrien? You’re very good at it,” Marinette said.  
  
Adrien laughed a little, embarrassed. “Oh, not as good as you, that’s for sure. But I do have a game console at my house and I play with Nino sometimes.”  
  
“That’s right. He was on the top four list, wasn’t he?”  
  
“He was, until you kicked him off. That was pretty impressive, by the way.”  
  
Marinette wasn’t sure if she could survive another compliment from Adrien; she was positive her face was already the colour of a tomato. “Oh, it was nothing! You know what? How about we go back upstairs to train some more. We barely started last time.”  
  
The two teens made their way back to Marinette’s room. However, Adrien paused on his way, his attention caught by a photo of Marinette and her parents. Marinette, standing behind him, said nothing at his wistful look, though her heart felt a bit like it was breaking. She had known his relationship with his father wasn’t the best—after all, hadn’t the man stolen the scarf she’d made for Adrien’s birthday? —but now everything made all too much sense.

\-----------------

A great deal of button-smashing later, the two of them had finally beat the game. “Wow!” Adrien exclaimed. “We won thanks to you!”  
  
“ _We_ played well,” Marinette said. It was really nice to have the blond praise her so much, but he wasn’t being fair to himself.  
  
“Me? I barely did anything,” Adrien retorted. “You’re a champion, Marinette. You’d surely do better by yourself. I’m worth nothing compared to you.”  
  
Did Adrien really think that about himself? That he was worth nothing? Marinette wouldn’t let that stand. “No! We’re a team, and everything is always easier as a team. I wouldn’t be able to play as well without you. I’m—I’m glad to have you as my teammate, Adrien.”  
  
Somehow her speech kind of morphed into something she’d said to Chat Noir before, but at least Adrien cheered up enough to give her a sweet smile. “Thanks, Marinette. That means a lot.”  
  
The door to her room flew open. “Do you want cookies? They’re fresh from the oven!” Mr. Dupain said.  
  
Marinette sighed in exasperation. Why did her parents have to be so nosy? “Dad, we’re trying to train!”  
  
Marinette immediately regretted snapping when she glanced at Adrien. He had his hand outstretched, and seemed crushed. How often did he get homemade cookies at his house? Plus, hadn’t he just been upset?  
  
Marinette scrambled after her dad, who’d already left her room. “I changed my mind, Dad, we’d love cookies.”  
  
She returned with the tray, and was glad to see Adrien smiling again. As she set the cookies down on her desk, she continued the conversation from where they’d left off.  
  
“Actually, you know what? I have a little secret.” She handed him her bracelet. “This is why I’m winning.”  
  
“Are you making fun of me?” he asked skeptically.  
  
“Well, why don’t you try playing with it on?”  
  
Marinette almost squealed when Adrien took the bracelet. This was the first time she’d managed to give him something where he knew it was from her!  
  
Just then, her parents interrupted them again. “What would you say to a delicious salmon-spinach quiche?” Sabine Cheng inquired. “You can tell me how it turned out.”  
  
This time, Marinette didn’t object, and when Adrien suggested taking a break, she eagerly agreed. Hopefully some time away from the game would help bring up Adrien’s spirits.  
  
Armed with the quiche and the cookies neither of them had gotten to try yet, the two teenagers set off for the park. Walking side by side with Adrien, Marinette realized she’d had it wrong all along. What Adrien needed wasn’t a fan, but a friend.


End file.
